Voetball...Bolspiel...Futebol...Football is music, is life.

Real Madrid have approved Figo's no-fee transfer. The player must decide now between Liverpool and Internazionale. My guess is it'll be red since the quality there is exciting and Figo has already indicated an interest to test his mettle in the Premiership. Otherwise, the choice is difficult, given the quality too at Inter: Stankovic, Cruz, Adriano, now Solari, Veron et al.

The pedantic idiocy of this last post, "Pity Gerrard...," was made clear to me last night as I watched a summer rerun of LFC v. Crystal Palace (played Nov 2004) in which Liverpool pulled a 3-2 win with an 89th-minute goal -- a penalty and hat-trick by Milan Baros. Asking Liverpool fans to have perspective is like asking Newcastle to defend.

What I noticed in this review is the KOP's importance to what occurs on the field. I had noticed that before, but this time its significance came home.

On the evening, Ian Dowie's men had already overachieved to go level at 2's away at Anfield. A quality evening for any Palace contributor in which he can put away his lunchpail, cherish the exhaustion and have a satisfying beer. Miller Time, innit? But Palace was backs against the KOP with Liverpool's wide Fullbacks, Traore and Finnan, pressing up in a menacing fashion. (The beauty of four-four-two is that it becomes two-four-four very quickly when the blood is up.) Palace were tired and Xabi Alonso and Louis Garcia were getting too much time in the middle. It seemed unlikely Palace could keep another out.

'Twelfth Man' offers no satisfying explanation. It is the commitment. That commitment from the stands demands a certain level of quality, commitment and togetherness from the team when the ball is live. Hearing the crowd sing "LIIIIH VAH PEWL, LIIII VAAAHHH PEWL, LIIII VAH PEWL," this is when it finally occurred to me where Liverpool FC's class comes from -- and it doesn't matter whether a player is Spanish, Finnish or from Huyton.

Liverpool -- the team and its community -- is class and it is the KOP's uncomprimising demands which make them so hard on Steven Garrard at times like Gerrard's negotiating feaux pas. But these are the same values from which Liverpool derives such classy football. They are inseparable; therefore it may be a while before Gerrard will be forgiven. Let's see again in August.

Some LFC fans are having a hard time letting go of what they percieve as Steven Gerrard's disloyalty to Liverpool Football Club.

Taking a wider perspective might improve their outlook. Fans cannot avoid feeling the sting when players listen to other offers. It's human. However, it is easy to forget that players are human too, and while they command weekly salaries better than most of us turn in a year, their playing careers tend around 10-12 years for a very successful player like Steven Gerrard.

So, to better establish apples for apples, player salaries need to be amortized over a span more equivalent to a normal person's working life; this could be on the order of 45 years. Now a Steven Gerrard will still make a lot on that basis, but it's not as objectionable in view of the brevity and risk of the career.

Even more, a footballer is an entity of value in a reasonably efficient commercial market; and it is foolish to think a player would do other than negotiate to the fullest extent when each of us would do so in the same circumstance. In fact, a Steven Gerrard must secure his fair market value in order to function at his optimum on the pitch. How could any reasonable person demand otherwise?

Gerrard was given good reason -- signalled through inactions at the Club -- to feel that his contract was less than the necessary priority. If I had done as much as Gerrard to win that trophy in May, it would have certainly irked me if the parties were not all gathered immediately after the Champions' League Final to get my situation settled, since a Gerrard signing was in all respects a fait accompli. There seems to have been an unfortunate lack of coordination and certainly a lack of communication throughout the Club while key parties took their much needed vacations, leaving room for the player to wonder against the backdrop of the determined Iberi-ization of Liverpool FC.

It simply helps to view this situation from the player's vantage point to put it in perspective so we can go forward without unnecessary and self-sabotaging emotional baggage. Jealousy will always exist; but I, for one, will be rooting for Red -- and for Steven Gerrard -- this term more than ever before.

Chelsea
have reeled Hernan Crespo back from loan to AC Milan, and have lost Scott Parker to Newcastle.

Everton's
let go of Allesandro Pistone but secured Welshman, Simon Davies, from Spurs for a reasonable 3.5 million quid and Per Kroldrup from Udinese (5 million). That should do.

Fulham
have brought in some low-key low-cost figures from Europe plus -- the sleeper of the summer transfer list -- Icelandic international, Heidar Helguson, who scored 20 for Watford last puff. Van der Sar may well be missed.

Newcastle
have done very well, off-loading several head-cases in Bellamy and Robert -- and will soon have Lee Bowyer off the books too. Now with Scott Parker to bolster their midfield, they still have much work to do to shore up the defense as well as bring in a replacement -- if that's conceivable -- for Alan Shearer.

Manchester United
have off-loaded much dead weight, including Roy Carroll, and have secured a fine first team keeper in Edwin van der Sar (coming from Fulham). South Korean international Park Ji-Sung also makes his way to Old Trafford which is sure to spark good shirt sales on the Peninsula, whatever happens on the field. Much here depends on the freshness of Scholes and Giggs and whether or not Cristiano Ronaldo can give up the tendentious, dead-end step-over moves. (Look also for foccachio sandwiches, pate', latte's & wine coolers to show up in the concession stands, along with a loud new stadium sponsorship.)

Liverpool
have added much and well, on the heals of victory in Istanbul. Securing Zenden (from Middlesbrough), Carragher and Gerrard provides a base for confidence to flourish; now if Figo comes in, things look really compelling. Pellegrino has gone back to Spain, Diao is back in from loan and Sissoko is now moving into the midfield. He is a young and strong player, someone Rafa Benitez knows well from Valencia, although he is untried in the Premiership. Depth of quality is here and, given the Reds' bad experience with injury last year, which hurt their League performance, they now have the large enough squad to be successful in several concurrent competitions come spring. Rafa Benitz now has Mourinho's early problem of keeping many world-class players happy while on the bench. That takes honesty as well as charm and hard work; it would make me a bit nervous if I were him -- but that's why he's Rafa Benitez. Reds have lost Smicer (Bordeaux), Berger (Villa) and Diouf, thank God!, among others like Bruno Cheyrou on loan to Bordeaux.

Manchester City
have got the dynamic and creative Kiki Musampa in again on loan from Athletico Madrid, while losing Steve McManaman (released) and Paul Bosvelt back to Holland (Heerenveen). Pearce may have more to spend if Chelsea picks up Simon Wright-Phillips, but that will be a severe loss at any price. City will be interesting to watch as Stuart Pearce's charisma sinks in further this year.

Transfer interest will be sustained as the final player moves sift themselves out before the August restart. Nothing too shocking expected, unless it involves Ronaldinho.

I always fear that rumors of such a fine player moving into the Premier League are too good to be true. I believe this to be the case because Chelsea don't need to spend this much or bring in a player of this extraordinary talent, since there is already more than enough excitement to fill Stamford Bridge by several multiples.

If Barcelona can possibly give up Ronaldinho to their Champions' League rivals, Chelsea, then the Lions will find it easier to slough off thier reputation for being boring.

He's learned so much in Spain: patience and game sense, above all. These are not the same as improving the free kick or the crossing technique, although Beckham's trademarks are even more intact than when he played at Manchester United. His real gift is delivering a ball that you can do something with.

When Ronaldo called him 'a Brasilian,' that was when he had just arrived at Real Madrid. Beckham, now, is a player who makes everyone else more potent and provides to the aggregate a sense of rhythm as well as confidence off the ball. It makes the whole a lot more dangerous.

Accordingly, you can't put a value on his importance to England's possibilities in Germany next summer. But let me drive the point by helping you imagine what it's like to defend against the recent England team. The middle four are scary. Beckham, Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole: each can hurt you in different ways. Beckham will go down the line four times and then, when you take that away, he'll cut inside and hold the ball up, allowing Gerrard and Lampard -- either or both at intervals -- to crash into the middle. If you give Beckham the outside, he will simply lay benders onto the forehead or boot of Owen and Heskey, Owen and Crouch, Owen and Vassell, Owen and Defoe -- it hardly matters which pairing. The only way to stop this is to stop Beckham from playing; and then you have to contend with Joe Cole who's usually feeling dangerous and will run at you from the left.

That's England's DEFENSE. What about their OFFENSE? Neville (or my preference, Carragher), Campbell, Terry and Ashley Cole. They just don't give anything away, and when you're not keeping the ball against them they will join in with the other Frightening Four -- especially Ashley, who has a way of keeping a whole left side occupied. That's on his own: double Coles down the left is surely treble work for a defending team. This often leaves St. David on the right unmolested.

From the opponent's point of view, defending against England is like herding cheetahs from a bicycle. I didn't even need to mention the intelligent speed of Micheal Owen which just lingers there, a constant threat, and creates gaps which Lampard or the DoubleColes will not shrink from exploiting.

The only perceptible weakness in England is their English reserve, and an unlucky perhaps Scandinavian habit of playing tense; certainly not a lack of heart. If Mr. Ericsson can do anything else this year he can work on strengthening their winning mentality, help them relax and visualize coming back late from 1-nil or 2-1 down or visualize coping with a negative opponent -- of which there will be many.

The big ingredient Beckham provides in this context is confidence. The confidence to mix up the pace, to probe dangerously even while slowing down, and he possesses and grants others the license do surprising things -- like permitting Joe Cole to attack at odds from the right flank instead. It should be clear that England is a more interesting as well as potent team under Beckham's captaincy. The only question remains how well they bear our high expectations.

2) Exclamation marks are crap. Only people with no class use them. It's like telling a joke and then saying, "That was a joke," when no one laughs.

3) The only words that we use in upper case are SOL, ALS and SAFC.

4) Apostrophes on words that end in "s" are tricky: If you pronounce a second "s" add it on (St. James's Park is crap), if not, don't (Gareth Hall was always the fans' favourite).

5) Hyphens should have a space before and after - like that.

6) No double spaces� anywhere.

7) If you don't know how to use semi-colons, don't bother, they're a bit of a funny one to be honest; only flash bastards use them.

Seven's my favorite!

When a football fanzine offers a grammar & puctuation style guide to its passionate amateur writer/contributors, there must be something interesting to watch. When the style guide is more memorable than Strunk & White's timeless grammar pocket reference, The Elements of Style, then you need to bookmark the site: A Love Supreme.

Furthermore, Mick McCarthy's Sunderland AFC should overachieve in the Prem this year with a smart new emphasis on youth and player value-for-money.

(*) Rumoured to be moving to Liverpool, the dark & handsome 32-year old Figo was 2001 FIFA Player of the Year for Barcelona & Portugal. He will do no harm in this experienced and still-hungry side. If Mr. Benitez figures out the English game, they will be thinking foremost about the Premiership Title in 2005-2006.